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Moon
The Moon is a natural satellite in orbit around Remnant. It was partially shattered when the God of Darkness crashed through it while leaving Remnant shortly after his brother did. Many fragments of the moon fell on Remnant as meteors because of this. Apart from being a striking visual feature of the series, it may also bear some symbolic significance. Appearance The most obvious feature of the satellite moon is it does not appear to be uniformly spherical like traditional moons, but it instead appears to be partially "shattered". While most of Remnant's moon remains predominantly spherical, a large portion has been dislodged, broken and displaced into several floating, irregularly-formed fragments held within the moon's gravity. History Departure of the Gods In the wake of the extermination of the original Humanity by the God of Darkness, his departure ripped past the atmosphere of the planet and partially broke the moon, turning it into its current state. For the many millennia since, it has remained orbiting Remnant throughout its history. Astrophysics Remnant's moon follows a peculiar lunar cycle radically different to that of Earth's. Unlike Earth's moon, which is tidally locked to Earth and thus always presents the same surface when viewed from the planet's surface, Remnant's moon exhibits an asynchronous rotation in spin-orbit resonance. In other words, the rotation period of the moon's axis rotation differs from the orbital period of its orbital rotation around Remnant. This is most likely a result of the impact by the God of Darkness that shattered the moon. As a result of this, at different points in the lunar cycle, the moon presents a different face to the planet: when the hemispherical fragment is directly facing Remnant, the moon appears full; at other times the moon's fragments are visible.[http://youtu.be/V1lNSidRkJ0?t=1h24m50s Animating the Rooster Teeth Way Panel] Different phases of the lunar cycle are visible throughout the series. For example, in "Ruby Rose", the moon appears to be in a broken phase, while in "The Shining Beacon, Pt.2", it appears to be full. It is not known what role illumination from the sun plays in this lunar cycle, though the surface of the moon facing Remnant does appear to be always fully illuminated. This may be due to a peculiarity of its orbit causing it to be fully lit when viewed from Remnant's surface. Another possibility is that the moon may actually provide its own light. ;Phases in Episodes Symbolism The moon is a significant recurring visual motif in the series. The writers of the show have stated that the moon's appearance is not arbitrary or coincidental and has some importance.[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7lsmq4x9fE#t=1815 RWBY Livestream] Reference to the moon is made on several occasions in the RWBY: Volume 1 Soundtrack in the song "Gold": "If the stars all fall / When there's no more light / and the moon should crumble / It will be alright," and again in the song "I May Fall": "When we lose our faith / And forsake our friends / When the moon is gone / And we've reached our ends." Specific reference to the moon being shattered is also made on the RWBY: Volume 2 Soundtrack songs "Die": "Our path was clear / The moon watched safely from above", "Enemies arise and the hate is flowing / Shattering the moon and bloodying the sky" and "Sacrifice": "The moon will sadly watch the roses die." Trivia *Monty Oum has compared the moon of RWBY to Praxis, the shattered moon of Qo'noS, the Klingon homeworld in Star Trek. *A reference to the moon makes an appearance in Red vs. Blue: The Shisno Paradox Episode 11, "Sword Loser". In a fit of rage, King Atlus Arcadium Rex shoots a lightning bolt at a nearby moon, shattering it so that it resembles the Moon of Remnant."Sword Loser" References Category:Geographic Locations